For its part, Mozilla is proposing a web apps store that is accessible via any browser, including Firefox 3.6 and above, Firefox Mobile, IE8, Chrome 6, Safari 5, Opera 10 and any WebKit mobile systems.

"The open web is a great platform for rich applications," said Mozilla chief Jay Sullivan in a blog post this month.

"It would be even better if it had additional capabilities to ease discovery, acquisition, installation and use of apps, while also enabling monetisation for developers."

Mozilla wants to see apps developed using the most popular and existing web technologies, such as HTML, CSS and JavaScript. Developers can distribute their apps directly or via app stores, such as Mozilla's own AppMonkey.